


Leave

by elumish



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-23
Updated: 2015-05-23
Packaged: 2018-03-31 21:45:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3993982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elumish/pseuds/elumish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He knew that, he suppose, in some logical sense, like one knew that babies came from two people having sex, but he had never thought about it in practice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Leave

“Hey, John.” John stopped, moving off to the side and turning to give Carter a chance to catch up with him.

He nodded to her when she reached him, and they started down the hallway towards the gym. Or at least that was where he was going; he wasn’t sure where she was headed. “What’s up?”

“I wanted to talk to you about the leave you have accumulated.”

Which was not where John had thought that conversation was going to go. Okay. “Talking leave on Atlantis isn’t really—”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” She stopped, and he stopped with her, the two of them moving to the side so they wouldn’t be in anyone’s way. “You need to take some leave. Some real leave.” When he just stared at her, she added, “Back to Earth.”

Oh. “There’s work to be done here, and—”

“And they can do it without you for a week or so.” Carter sighed. “I’ve been talking to Dr. Keller and Dr. Adams”—the city’s psychologist—“and they both think that real Earth-side leave is necessary. You haven’t had a break in, what, three years?”

Four, but he didn’t think that would help his argument any. “I take the required Sundays off.” Sort of. “And I’m your second in command.”

“With a more-than-competent second in command of your own. Major Lorne is perfectly capable of taking over for you for a week.”

This wasn’t working, and John felt like he was grasping at straws to avoid giving the whiny _but I don’t want to go_. “How often did you take leave when you were on SG-1?”

The twist of her lips told him the answer was probably not very often, but all she said was, “It’s different and you know it. Even with the Sundays, you’re on duty 24/7 and have been for years. That isn’t regulation, and it’s not healthy. You need to go back to Earth. Relax.”

“What if I don’t want to go back to Earth?” The words slipped out before he could catch them, and he regretted them immediately, because his eyes sharpened on him.

“You can’t stay here forever, you know?” She reached out and patted his upper arm, a bit awkwardly. “We’ll work out timing so it doesn’t conflict with any already-scheduled missions.” And then she turned and walked back in the other direction, leaving him standing there, alone.

He couldn’t stay there forever. He knew that, he suppose, in some logical sense, like one knew that babies came from two people having sex, but he had never thought about it in practice. He couldn’t stay there forever. Someday he would have to go back to Earth, and Atlantis would be lost to him forever.

He didn’t know if that was something he would survive.


End file.
